The Rise of the Smart Circular City: Intelligent Modelling of Cities for Improved Waste Reuse and Environmental Effects

Abstract

Cities around the globe are facing numerous challenges. Some give reason for concern, for example the extensive use of resources and the decline of air quality. The concept of the smart circular city provides opportunities to make cities more sustainable by applying smart solutions including smart data and smart logistics. Current developments are aimed at increased reuse of construction and demolition waste and assuring improved city environments for inhabitants. In this paper we present the application of such solutions in the City of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Environmental advantages have been sought in facilitating data-driven collection and reuse of construction and demolition waste as well as optimizing the transport of construction materials through the city, and thus the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and congestion. To support this analysis and process of reduced waste and emission, BIM and GIS have been applied to be able to mode the city and be able to know amounts of materials and emissions in the built environment and solutions of waste reuse and emission reduction. This paper is part of a wider development towards a smart and open 3D digital spatial city model to support various aims such as urban mining and city distribution.